After a great deal of work we have finally (almost) finished updating the onlYoga online store. I think the finished product is much better than what we were using previously. It should make purchasing classes and yoga products much easier. I want to specially thank Laura Hull for her incredible effort and good sense over the last few weeks - THANK YOU!

I have finally started adding audio classes currently we have a great meditation and a full primary series available for download (samples of the classes are available on the details page). I will continue to add a new class or two each week. You will notice the ability to design your own class. The idea is for us to offer different versions of the sun salutations, main practice and the closing sequence. This will enable you to mix and match different parts of the practice and make new playlists with original practices. So if one day you want to do 10 sun salutations and a guided meditation and the next warm up with a hip opening class and then move into a backbend series, you can simply set up a play list with the appropriate pieces of a practice and away you go. I hope this keeps our audio class section fresh and while I don't think it will replace a practice at onlYoga...at least it will provide you with some of the originality you have come to expect from us.

Below are links to the two latest additions - I will be adding more in the next few days - so check back often: onlYoga Audio Classes


You also may want to tool around our online store. We have some great new features: like eVites (invite a friend to join you for an event), wish lists, and a very flexible account system. We also have some great new products on the way. Leigh has ordered some new flavors form the Pacifica candle line and we have some beautiful handmade yoga cards on the way from California.

As always - Thank You for your continued support of onlYoga...and Happy Spring is on the way!

Namaste

John

Some of you have inquired about the progression of classes that lead up to a Full Primary Series or Primary Series Level 2 at onlYoga. Below you will find the class progression we recommend for students new to yoga!

1. Yoga Basics and Intro to Ashtanga Primary Series 5-10 classes and/or onlYoga Foundation Series (5 classes covering the entire primary series). These classes should be taken with John Merideth. Students learn about breath, locks, gaze, sun salutations, standing postures, closing postures, vinyasa and some seated postures.

2. Ashtanga Intermediate Primary Series 5-10 classes. These classes move a little faster with deeper focus on breath, vinyasa and many more seated postures.

3. Primary Series Level 1 10 - 20 classes. A full primary series class with special attention on problem areas - such as the final standing postures, seated armbalance postures, backbends, headstands, etc.

4. Full Primary Series. The full primary series with postures, vinyasa and breath called out.

5. Primary Series Level 2. The full primary series and sometimes the secondary series - experience with the primary series is mandatory to attend this class. Not intended for new students.

Do you have more questions about our class line-up? Email us, we are happy to share our vision with you!

Maya Tulum 2006
The 4th annual onlYoga retreat in Maya Tulum Mexico is quickly approaching.  Currently we have approximately 18 students signed up for our week of fun, adventure and yoga on the incredible beaches of the Yucatan peninsula.  If you have been considering joining us, its not too late.  We still have several cabanas available and welcome all levels on this magical week. Please email us for more information or visit the onlYoga retreat page for additional information.  
onlYoga Retreat Page
email: Contact Us

New Class Jessica Ho will  be teaching four free/donation only classes as she finishes up her training at onlYoga beginning this Sunday from 2-3:30pm.   The class dates: September 10, 17, 24 & October 8th.  These early afternoon Ashtanga classes are sure to be a relaxing segue into your Sunday evening. 

Also For those of you working past 6:15pm, remember Bruce is now teaching Tuesday & Wednesday evenings from 7:45 - 9pm.

Leigh is also teaching a great Mokshananda Intro class on Sundays from 4-5:30pm

The RAMESHORI BUDDHIST CENTER has pushed the start date for their first class back to Monday September 18th from 7:45 - 9pm

More Pictures

5 Years...I want to thank everyone who attended the five year anniversary party on August 13, 2006. The event was perfectly delicious. I particularly want to thank Harriet Leibowitz for hanging her photographs from India - they made the evening quite special. If you enjoyed Harriet's India pictures be sure to attend her opening "Visceral Beauty" September 30th, 2006 at The Vacknin in the 905 building on Juniper Street. I also want to thank Leigh and David Mallis and Bryan Thompson for helping with the event. It is hard to believe that five years has come and gone so quickly - I can't imagine what the next five years hold. Again thank you for being a part of the onlYoga community and continuing to support this amazing practice! -Namaste John Merideth Studio Director

RAMESHORI BUDDHIST CENTER will begin teaching a class once a week at onlYoga on Mondays At 7:45Pm Beginning September 18Th. Rameshori Buddhist Center of Atlanta, Georgia, teaches meditation classes and practical Buddhist methods for improving the quality of our daily lives and gaining inner peace. They are part of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism , a classic, living tradition which has been re-presented by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso specifically for the West. There are close to 1,000 Centers and branches of the New Kadampa Tradition throughout the world.
Buddhism has a timeless and universal relevance, and can be practiced by anyone in any culture, regardless of race, gender, or age. Through training in meditation and other Buddhist practices you can improve the quality of your life by developing inner peace, love, and wisdom. You do not need to be a Buddhist to try out these practices, or to benefit from them.
CLASS Schedule: TRANSFORMING THE MIND
Buddha explained that all problems and suffering arise from negative states of mind, and that all happiness arises from peaceful, or virtuous, states of mind. Through training our own mind patiently and consistently over time, we can reduce and eventually completely remove negative states of mind.
Series 1: Love, Desire, Attachment
The majority of our daily problems arise from our attachment.
Series 2: Overcoming Conflict And Anger
The negative mind of anger has no other function but to destroy our inner peace and the peace of those around us. We live in a "culture of blame".
Series 3: The Supreme Good Heart
We all want to have a "good heart"; we all want to be "good people" who benefit others. But what does having a "good heart" actually mean, and how do we systematically cultivate it through training our mind? Buddha teaches that the supreme good heart is the mind of "bodhichitta," a mind wishing to reach our ultimate potential of Enlightenment for the benefit of others. We each have the potential to achieve a pure motivation for all of our daily actions.
Class Format:
Each class begins with a guided meditation, includes a short teaching (20 - 30 minutes) and concludes with time for discussion and question & answer.

Please Note: the following change to the class schedule - effective immediately:
Saturday 9-10:45am Ashtanga Primary Series Level 2 • Instructor: John Merideth • This class is intended for students familiar with the ashtanga primary series. Classes will explore the primary and sometimes half of the secondary series. Students new to yoga or unfamiliar with the primary series should seek instructor approval before attending the class. "Experience with the primary series" means that you understand breath, bhandas, dristi and vinyasa. We will also work with traditional pranayama at the end of each class. Intermediate/Advanced
This class replaces the Mokshananda Class.

The End Of Spam - RSS Feed and Blogs
Over the next two weeks onlYoga will be transitioning to a new and much improved/easier to use website. Part of the new site will be an onlYoga news Blog. Going forward, the news blog will contain all of the schedule updates, eNewsletter and other electronic information. We will continue to send text email announcements on occassion...but far less frequently. Why? Well, I think direct email marketing is cumbersome and annoying...I find myself deleting and not reading most of the email that I receive (unless it is from a student directly). But a bigger reason is that blogs, although not replacements for email, are a much more effective non-intrusive way to communicate. Our blog will have an RSS feed link so that if you choose to you can bookmark the news page and stay on top of studio news as it is announced. There will also be a blog for the poems and quotes we read at the end of classes and I will have my own onlYoga blog...
Overall, I think our students will be better served by this more interactive approach to communication. We will also be adding movies and podcasts...so stay tuned to onlYoga as we continue to evolve.
John Merideth - Founder/Director

The onlYoga five year anniversary is quickly approaching. I hope you are planning on attending. This FREE event will take place on August 13, 2006 from 6-8pm. Dress is casual, dinner, art and fun conversation provided compliments of onlYoga! Sign-Up Now!

Read the July Studio Update!